A Kiss Under the Auroras
by Danni34
Summary: Arthur takes Merida out on a sleigh ride. A PolarBear fic, requested from the wonderful lizziethewanderer582 from Tumblr!


**So, I just wanna cover four things before going into this story.**

**1) This story was requested by my Tumblr friend, lizziethewanderer582, who a long time ago asked for me to write a PolarBear fic of Arthur and Merida's first kiss.**  
**2) This fic ties into another PolarBear fic I'm planning which involves magic-induced time-travel. This fic can easily stand on it's own, just thought I'd let you know to explain just how Merida and Arthur are able to meet each other.**  
**3) I know Eve was destroyed in the movie, but lets just pretend that Arthur had her rebuilt for at home purposes, like how it's used in this fic.**  
**4) This is the first fic I've written for both movies, and thus the first time I've written anything with these two characters. As a result, they might be OOC. I sincerely hope that they aren't, BUT if they are, do not hesitate to tell me. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing, to criticism is welcomed. Also, I suck at writing accents and I do deeply apologize for that.**

**I would also like to point out that this fic will be posted on Tumblr. If you want to check it out there, I have a link on my profile to my Tumblr blog. You could probably easily find it there.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used in this story. Brave is owned by Pixar and Disney, while Arthur Christmas is owned by Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation.**

**Enjoy!**

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If someone had told Merida several years ago that one day she would actually fly, she'd most likely laugh, or back away slowly. Of course, if one had told her that she would accidentally turn her mother into a bear, she'd probably react the same way. And if one had told her that she would end up meeting a strange young man from several years in the future, she'd certainly consider them to be crazy. Just goes to show how much she knew back then.

Still, that did not change the fact that she currently sat in a bright red sleigh that zoomed through the sky, which was pulled by eight large deer. The air was cold, with white snow covering every bit of the ground several meters below, but she ignored it. Snow was nothing new to her and heights have never been a real great fear of hers, seeing as she loved to climb. She, instead, focused on the clouds that flew by her, the fog that surrounded her as she flew through them, and the colorful lights that danced in the sky.

She especially liked those lights.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Merida jumped slightly at the sudden voice and turned towards the man steering them. Arthur's gazed was focused solely on her, his steel blue eyes filled with all different kinds of worry. "We're not going too fast, are we? And you're not too cold?"

Merida smiled warmly, touched by his concern, which instantly caused Arthur's shoulders to sag with relief. _Always the mother hen_, she jokingly thought before answering, "Aye, Arthur, I'm fine. We're not going any faster than Angus can run, and I've dealt with worse cold than this in DunBroch." That last bit was a huge lie, and both of them knew it. Arthur's face once again filled with worry, knowing full well how Merida tended to keep things to herself (with the occasional venting to Angus). And he was right – Merida was freezing. She had not been expecting a ride outside when she came to visit and had not packed accordingly, but she wasn't going to complain. She did not want the flight to be cut short because she was cold. Especially not when the lights above (aurora borealis, Arthur had once said they were called) were dancing across the cloudy sky so beautifully.

Arthur sighed in a way that seemed rather un-Arthurish, though in what way, Merida could not tell. Her ice blue eyes watched him curiously as he handed her the reins, giving her control of the sleigh. "What's this for?" she asked cautiously as she took hold of the strap, silently wondering what had gotten into the youngest Claus. Arthur said nothing as he quickly began to take off the red pullover hoodie that he was wearing, causing Merida to jump up in surprise. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed, almost letting go of the reins to the sleigh. "You'll freeze if you take off that!"

The man chuckled as he pulled the jacket over his head, revealing the green homemade sweater he had been wearing underneath it. "No I won't. I live here remember? I've gone out several times without this on," he kindly reminded her, holding the hoodie out for her. "Wanna trade?"

Merida stared at the hoodie for a moment before finally sighing and grabbing it, being sure to hand Arthur the reigns as she did so. Almost as soon as the sweater was in her hands, Arthur relaxed, a kind and grateful smile gracing his features. She smiled back in thanks and pulled the clothing on, struggling only briefly to get her hair free once her head was through the top of it. A feeling of warmth instantly swam through her, making the princess wonder if the jacket had magical qualities to it (which, considering what they were currently doing, she would not doubt was true). It was a bit snug, what with Arthur being a stick with arms and legs, and she was, well…not, but it was comfortable and it greatly helped against the ice-cold air.

She glanced over towards Arthur again. He was smiling brightly as he flew the sleigh, having begun to actually enjoy flying after doing it once every year for his job. She recalled when he told her of his first flight, how he had been scared and nervous. Looking at him now, one could never tell that he had such a great fear of it. In fact, as long as he didn't look down at the ground (for he still held a slight fear of heights), he looked perfectly happy, as if what they were doing was just an average, normal thing. He didn't even seem effected by the cold, despite the fact that they were basically flying above the coldest land on Earth in the middle of the night.

Merida smiled. She remembered so long ago how much the idea of falling in love and settling down disgusted her, how the mere mention of marriage would throw her into a fit of displeasure. Of course, when she met the witch and turned her mother into a bear, she slowly grew used to the idea that one day, far off in the future, she would eventually fall in love, marry, and ascend to the throne as Queen of DunBroch. But it wasn't until she ran into Arthur (quite literally) that she actually began to accept it. Out of all the men she had ever met, the fact that Arthur, the dorky boy from the future that had an odd obsession with Christmas and delivered presents to children all across the world, would be the one to slowly steal her heart was quite unexpected. She sure wasn't expecting it, at least, and something tells her that he didn't even realize it.

Which would be just like him.

The two continued their flight for a little while longer, with barely a word spoken between them, too comfortable with the silence that had settled. As the flight went on, Merida found her gaze focused less on the dancing lights above her and more on the man sitting beside her. Arthur took no notice of this, far too busy enjoying himself and making sure that they wouldn't crash into anything. After some time, it was silently agreed upon that it was time to call it a night and the youngest Claus turned the sleigh around back to his home.

It wasn't until she had climbed out of the sleigh that Merida noticed Arthur's shivering.

The reason behind his shivering came to her only a second later, and it was quickly followed by anger. How dare he put himself in danger just to keep her warm? He could've gotten himself sick, or killed, or…

But then he turned and smiled at her. And her rage melted away, gratitude taking its place. _He's too kind for his own good_, she thought as she pulled off his hoodie and handed it back to him. He stated his thanks and pulled it over his head, his shivering dying down almost as soon as he managed to get it on (once again leaving Merida to wonder on whether or not it held magical properties).

"Come on," Arthur said, a goofy grin plastered on his face. "Let's head towards the dining room. I'm sure Mum's alre-"

He was cut off when the Scottish princess quickly walked over, grabbed parts of his hoodie that was close to his neck, and pulled him down until his lips came in contact with hers.

The kiss was short, sweet, and a tad bit awkward, and it left both participants blushing red when Merida pulled away. Arthur stood still, his eyes wide, his face, ears, and neck the same color as his hoodie, with his mouth hanging open slightly in shock. Even when Merida's grip of his hoodie dropped, he stayed in the same position, leaning over slightly so that he was the same height as her. Merida, meanwhile, fought back her blush with all her might, along with the laugh that bubbled up when she caught a good look at the young santa's face. Instead, she merely smiled brightly.

"Thank you."

And with that, she made her way towards the dining room, suddenly realizing that she was quite hungry. It took Arthur a few moments to recover from what had just happened, and when he did it took a whole lot of effort to stop him from dancing about and crying with joy. His heart raced and his smile never faded as he quickly raced after his fiery princess.

All the while, up above, the aurora lights danced, shining brighter than before.

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**Again, criticism is welcomed, so do not hesitate to tear me shreds if you think this fic was horrible.**

**Thank you for reading, and have a Merry Christmas! (What's left of it, at least. It's almost over for me.)**


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